2015

  • A Sickness unto Death – The Great Escape (2015)

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    Hailing from Germany, today we have Doomsters A Sickness unto Death and their sophomore release “The Great Escape”. While typical Epic Doom Metal gets pretty boring after 20 minutes or so, this band delivers over 60 minutes of very creative music that while staying true to the genre, manages to incorporate unique elements to keep things fresh and engaging.

    Opening with the album title track, we are treated to heavy distorted guitars and repetitive riffs that are quite enjoyable. Tim Ziegeler’s vocals are more on the Epic Doom side with a splash of ICS Vortex making them quite enjoyable and not tiring at all. The riffing at times is a bit less heavy than your typical Doom release, making for some crafty an interesting tracks like the melodramatic “Lost” and October Tide-esque “The Uniqueness of the Two”.

  • Selbst – An Omnious Landscape (2015)

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    Always psyched to receive music from Romania’s Sun & Moon Records, today we have Venezuela Black Metal battalion Selbst. This soul crushing mCD release is truly a punishing exercise in BM execution, filled with over 22 minutes of ravaging music that will keep you to the edge of your seat. Expertly crafting an oppressive atmosphere, this is one release that will haunt you for months.

    Opening with the relentless “An Omnious Landscape”, this two-man outfit delivers waves after waves of pummeling riffs and hyper-fast drums. There is really no moment to relax in this bestial track that crafts a very dense and crushing atmosphere with only traditional elements. The brutality continues with the imposing “Heterodox Reason”. This track reminds us of a mixture of Gorgoroth and Horna, but with a distinct signature style that has Selbst written all over it.

  • Leather Nun America – Buddha Knievel (2015)

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    Hailing from San Diego, CA, this Stoner/Doom Metal outfit return with another pummeling full-length release titled “Buddha Knievel”. Invoking the likes of EyeHateGod, Crowbar mixed with Pentagram’s vibe, this band delivers eleven tracks of solid music that will satisfy any fan of the genre and will further propagate the power of the riff.

    After the trippy prologue, the band presents their full-on Stoner Doom elements in the warm up “Into the Abyss”. The band’s sound is quite organic and natural, with the clean vocals working perfectly well with the nature and pace of their music. Getting fully into the groove, “Warwolf” has that warm and fuzzy vibe of old-school Doom thanks to the pulsating riffs. The melancholic clean passages offer very cool guitar leads and nice instrumentation to change the tempo of the song a few times.

  • Swampborn – Alleged Escape (2014)

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    Hailing from Russia, today we have two-man battalion Swampborn and their very promising debut EP “Alleged Escape”. Crafting over 25 minutes of very fresh sounding Black Metal with tons of melodic and experimental passages, the band manages to catch the attention of the listener from the first note to the last one. If you like less straightforward and more complex Black Metal, this is one release that you don’t want to miss out on.

    Opening with the 10-minute epic “Augoeides”, the band sets a very mellow Post-Rock-ish vibe early on and suddenly transitions into more melodic BM territories. The music is quite well crafted and very engaging, allowing the killer riffs and tight drums to carry the track. We particularly enjoy when they go out of ‘script’ and deliver lush instrumental or melodic passages mid song.

  • Event Relentless – Cold Black November (2015)

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    Hailing from Pori, Finland, today we have a very exciting young Melodic Death Metal band named Event Relentless. On the debut EP “Cold Black November”, we are taken back to the early days of Children of Bodom with five tracks filled with no bullshit Melodic Death Metal and killer atmospheric keyboards/synth.

    Leading with the acrobatic “Duality”, the band instantly establishes a very melodic and engaging vibe. The riffs are pretty good and the and the overall combination of fast guitars and enveloping keyboards makes it very engaging and enjoyable, very similar to CoB’s earlier days. Delivering another high-octane thrill ride, we have “Beyond the Speed of Light” and its headbanging melodic passages. This track reminds us a bit more of Kalmah and their ‘slower’ paced style of melodic Death Metal.

  • Wakener – Wakener (2015)

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    Receiving music from new and promising relatively unknown bands is one of the best perks of writing for Infernal Masquerade. Today we have one of the good ones with Wakener and their self-titled debut EP. Featuring four songs and around 18 minutes of music, this release showcases a band that perfectly executes Melodic Death Metal and traditional Death Metal in a very old-school way, this allows them to stand out from the hundreds of over-the-top MeloDeath outfits that have plagued the scene in the last few years.

    Opening with the superbly catchy “Life of Fear”, we have a grainy production that perfectly captures the melodic riffs and the rough harsh vocals. The band focuses exclusively in crafting melodic passages that are perfect for headbanging, similar to what The Elysian Fields did many years ago. Continuing with the equally impressive “The Plague”, the band does a great job in crafting nifty melodies alongside tight drumming and the perfect tempo for this kind of music.

  • Deep River Acolytes – From the Voids of Chaos (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland, today we have Deep River Acolytes and their superb debut EP titled “From the Voids of Chaos”. Featuring three songs clocking in at around 20 minutes, this release showcases the skills of a promising young band. Highly recommended for people that like Sludgy Doom/Heavy Metal releases, this album will get you going on a dark and cloudy day thanks to its upbeat and playful nature.

    Opening with the incisive riffs of “Misleaders”, the catchy twangy vibe is quickly evident, even before the vocals come into play. Having established a certain vibe, the band never lets go and continues to deliver catchy sections and very well crafted tempo changes that keep things fresh and enjoyable. We particularly enjoy the psychedelic rock keyboards that are used, giving the band one extra dimension.

  • Monolithe – Epsilon Aurigae (2015)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Doomsters Monolithe and their fifth full-length release “Epsilon Aurigae”. Delivering over 45 minutes of atmospheric Doom Metal spread over three tracks, the band crafts a very interesting atmosphere that while being Doomy, it feels a bit different than normal. Changing a few things up allows the band to craft a unique sounding release that will surely catch the attention of fans of the genre.

    Opening with “Synoecist”, the band delivers a very straightforward and powerful 15 minute song. The riffing is quite typical and engaging while pairing perfectly with the vocals and overall atmosphere. While this track is very traditional, the tempo of it seems a bit different than what you would expect, being not as slow as other Doom bands. The second song “TMA-0” instantly brings down the mood with a gloomy combination of eerie keyboards and very sludgy riffs. The distortion seems to be a bit less oppressive than in typical Doom releases, making the music come out less dark and more upbeat (but not too much).

  • Wall of Water - Promo (2015)

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    Delivering a furious 2-track promo, today we have newcomers Wall of Water from the USA. As the brainchild of Cullen Toner (ex-Abazagorath) and Shawn Eldridge (Disma), this band aims to merge the good old Black/Death Metal style with more modern and crafty Post-Metal/Rock influences. Not for the faint of heart, this is a release that brilliantly achieves their goals and delivers 13 minutes of very solid music.

    Opening with the mysterious “Exposure”, the band starts very mellow, setting a very atmospheric mood in the first few seconds. The first outburst of brutality is similar to a more Post-Metal version of Anaal Nathrakh filled with multiple vocal styles and crushing riffs. Perfectly blending old-school elements with more edgier and modern influences, this track sounds familiar, but yet fresh and different.

  • Kvltist – Catechesis (2015)

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    Hailing from Germany today we have two-man battalion Kvltist and their demolishing release “Catechesis”. Serving the dark lord, this band sets forth with seven tracks of soul crushing Black Metal. With tons of solid Black Metal releases in 2015, this outfit manages to standout with powerful songs filled with atmospheric decadence, making it a very solid effort.

    Opening with the blistering “The Devil’s Catechumen”, the high-octane drumming and demoralizing riffing instantly pummels through your ear drums. This band reminds us of a mixture of Inquisition, Gorgoroth and some Nightbringer, thanks to demoralizing tracks like “Devotion”, “Darkest Light from Glaring Shadows” and the melodically sinister “Eucharisty of Death Divine”. The band does a great job in creating a very dark mood thanks to countless crafty riffs and exceptional tempo changes.

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